


Summer.

by SirMcKenah



Series: Beautiful Flowers, Broken but trying to mend. [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Dick Grayson Has Issues, Dick Grayson-centric, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Psychological Trauma, Self-Hatred, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:14:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28445970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirMcKenah/pseuds/SirMcKenah
Summary: Dick Grayson pretends to have it all, and be a well put together guy.He's a friendly man, who has four best friends, has an amazing girlfriend, currently at the top of his classes in uni  and so much more. To top it all off, he's stunning to say the least!Only at the age of nineteen, he seems to be on top of the world.But who is he? No, seriously. Who is Richard Grayson behind the persona that he tries to show to the world?
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Beautiful Flowers, Broken but trying to mend. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2083635
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> So... I was thinking... I have been working on this AU for a few years now, mostly just writing notes and coming up with ideas for it and I thought: "Hey, why not turn this into a project for 2021?".
> 
> So yes, I know- And I get it. Some people might not want me to pair Morgan with Dick, but this story has always been one I wanted to make (since 2014. Which means that this pair actually predates Jason and Morgan!) And I just really wanted to show this.
> 
> This will be a fic done in chapters and made into a series. I am thinking that I will make this go by seasons.
> 
> Also, in this AU: Bruce's parents did die, but Bruce was never handed the Wayne's wealth- Making him a single father who works a 9 to 5 job like most people. I don't know, I thought it would be a fun character study in that way.
> 
> Hope you like it!

Dick liked rolling skating- He liked it way more than skateboarding, and he was never fond of bicycling. He would have been fine with driving, but according to everyone around (aside from himself) he was horrific with it. So much so that even the driving instructor told him face-to-face that 'Some people were just not meant to drive' all the while choking and coughing on his cigarette smoke. 

So instead of feeling awful for himself, Dick took up rolling skating to make up for being nineteen and still not having a car. He found that not only was he good at it, but that he liked it way more than he should have. When he got a job, he started skating there and would do the same when he needed to come home and slowly started to skate wherever he needed to. 

It became routine, and it was something that he was growing comfortable doing. The only problem? His (somewhat) little brother decided that he needed to play hockey right at the start of his sophomore year of high school and needed to use Dick's knee pads what felt like every single day. 

Dick could be responsible and buy himself some new ones that were so undoubtedly his- Have it be pink with some butterflies on it, Dick was sure Jason would stay from far from that... However, something deep in his heart didn't really care that Jason used them. 

He was also tired all of the time as of recently and did not feel like he wanted to spend time buying something that he already had. 

Which is where he found himself at the moment: Getting all dressed for work and finding that Jason took his knee pads once more without his permission. Dick groaned in annoyance as he tied up his shoelaces and rolled over to Jason's bedroom door with ease. 

He should've figured out that something was strange right off the bat when he noticed that the door was opened all the way. His brother hated having it open at all, which is one of the reasons why he never had someone over- But Dick overlooked that 

Instead he knocked on the door, thinking that the figure moving around his room was indeed Jason, "Hey Jay. I'm about to head off for work and all that jazz... Do you still have, you know, my knee pads?" He has been thinking about that a lot, hasn't he? Maybe Kory was right when she once pointed out that his mind can and would stay on a topic for far too long.

He shouldn't have been shocked to be greeted by someone else entirely as they finally looked over their shoulder to give him their full attention, but he still was and he felt bad about that. Jason was strikingly taller than the Individual standing in front of him, and had (beautiful) ginger hair that seemed like it was barely holding itself together with a rubber band. 

The first thing Dick thought to himself as he looked at the person was that he needed to seriously to keep himself together and seem neat before he blew something, or made things awkward. The second thing he noticed was that this stranger seemed just as awkward and shy. 

Nice to know Dick wasn't the only one being weird at the moment- He'll be sure to write that down next time he felt like everything was going wrong for him. 

"Oh shit," He started, trying to laugh off the tension, "No offense, but you are clearly not the person I was looking for... Um..." His tongue felt as though it was becoming heavy and dry, "Do you happen to know where my brother is?" He asked, if not somewhat more quiet than he wanted. 

The stranger looked like their shoulders tensed a little less as Dick spoke more to them. They smiled and ran their long, thin fingers along their hair and shook their head, "Sorry... He's not here at the moment. You barely missed him, actually. He's at practice right now." They answered rather... Seriously? Odd... With a gentle face like that, Dick would have not guessed that they also had a deeper, smoother voice just by the face alone. 

Interesting. He liked it. 

"In case you were wondering," They started, pointing their thumb to a rather decently sized cactus on one of Jason's dressers, "I was just dropping off our child. He's going to watch him for the weekend." They explained. 

Dick snorted. 'Their child' What did that even mean? "I think I get it, you're both in some class project together, right?" 

They gave a playful smile and shook their head. Having both of their hands shoved in their pockets, they stood a little more straight up, "No... Not really. Jason wanted to finally see one of these bad boys because I told him there were a lot in California and Texas." 

Dick nodded a little, not quite sure where this was going. Since when had Jason shown interest in plants? 

"So I wanted him to get the chance to see one, a big one too!" They announced rather proudly. 

Dick had never seen someone so eager to talk about a cactus before, 'nor about his younger brother as if he was someone incredibly interesting to talk about- He found himself smiling a little. It was sweet, almost naive in a sense. 

"I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions... I have just never seen anyone in here that wasn't him. I guess I never really thought that he had friends, you know?" Dick tried to explain. The stranger made a noise that sounded like they were blowing a raspberry causing Dick to shake his head, "Hey now! Don't misunderstand me! He's just quiet is all." 

The stranger just laughed, clearing showing just how much they knew about the quiet side of Jason. It made Dick wonder if he would have seen this friend of his if they had not shown up themselves. 

"Anyways..." Dick started, trying to keep focus, trying to keep this about the missing in question item that he liked using for work, "...I guess he took my knee pads to practice with him, huh?" 

The stranger shrugged, "He normally keeps his gear in his duffle bag. It would be not only rude of me to look through, but also extremely creepy." 

"Yeah, he tends to hate it when people look through his things... For reasons I guess?" Dick said with a snort, "But. I guess if he has them, then there's no need for me to look and I have to get going-" He felt like he was rushing himself out, and he didn't really mean for it to sound so on point and awkward, "Uh... It was nice to finally meet you...?" 

They smiled gently and bowed their head at him, "I'm Morgan." They answered, and for an odd second Dick felt his heart swell up. 

"That's a nice name," He admitted outwards without meaning to do so, "I'm Richard- Though I kind of prefer to be called Dick." He told Morgan as he winced for the possible laugh to come from them (which he should have gotten used to considering how routine it had become). 

"All right, Dick. You better get going or else you might end up being late!" Morgan told him as they waved their hand for him to leave. 

"Shoot, right- Sorry! Until next time?" 

"Until next time." They assured him with an almost knowing smile. 

It was a simple exchange between two people, something that he knew he shouldn't have dove too deep into thinking about. He really did his best not to as well. His more rational part of his brain would repeat over and over again about how it was unlikely he was ever going to see Jason's friend again…

Yet there was another part, one that he tried to keep hidden and not listen to that kept begging the question- 'Well, what if you do see him again?'.

He was great at focusing on things, and work was an overall okay day, but whenever he was left with his head running all sorts of daydreams, it seemed almost like they were all about Morgan. While his heart was left leaping at some of the images that his mind painted for him, he left a horrible twist in his gut.

This wasn't just about a stranger- This was Dick’s brother's closest (and possibly only) friend! He also knew next to nothing about them… 

But daydreams were just that, and he taught himself at a young age that there was nothing wrong with that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed the formatting of the chapter because I was not digging the large gaps between each paragraph.


	2. A Highly Mediocre Meeting.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick gets to have his weekly hang out with his friend Donna.
> 
> He talks about his first encounter with Jason's friend the other day.
> 
> The whole topic turns into something much more than what he wanted.

Dick had always appreciated talking to his best friend, Donna Troy. She was kind, intelligent and always wanted to make sure that he was fine. Even if Dick quite often lied and told her that he was, it was nice acknowledging someone wanted to know how he was. 

Ever since Donna married Terry, she and Dick were not as glued at the hip like they were when he was eleven and she was twelve. Nowadays it felt like she spent time with him only whenever she had free time... Which was fair- She did just have her son. 

It didn't ease the loneliness that he felt. That being said, he was smart enough to not say anything because he knew deep down he was just being self-centered. He didn't want to worry her. She had her job, her son, her friends and family. Dick worried that she might have been dealing with too many things at once. 

So he was happy with having coffee with her once a week and catching up. Though it did have a somewhat bitter reminder (for him, that is) that they were not pre-teens and teenagers anymore... They were adults, having to live their sad, tragic and grey lives. Or at least that was how he felt. 

However, this trip was a little different. Usually, when he and Donna spent this time together, Dick did not have much to say. This time, he felt, was different which made him excited. The topic was about his short exchange with Morgan. 

As he explained the story to her, he would look up at her to see her expressions and see her teasing smile. Her playful wink... The overall feeling that she understood what was going on. That she knew just how much he looked forward to spending time with her.

Instead, she just made a concerned expression. Sure she nodded along listened to Dick's story, but something felt off. The whole thing made him almost close up inside and wish he had never brought the topic up. 

"Dick... You just met this person," Donna reminded him, she said it in such a sad tone that it almost made Dick bite his lower lip in discomfort. 

"Yeah, but-" Dick tried to explain himself. He was not in the mood for discourse about how his feelings were unusual, or how his eagerness for meeting someone new was something to be self-conscious of. He just wanted to talk to his best friend. 

"I understand that you may think that this might not be different from all the other times you have met someone you felt... Something with-" She was barely letting him speak it seemed. 

"That is not what's going-" He tried once more as he felt his cheeks grow warmer by the second in slight frustration. As much as he loved Donna, this was something that drove him crazy about her. 

It was not like she was wrong in her own way, it was more like they were stubborn. They were in constant need to be the most correct person in the room instead of seeing it as a singular flaw in her. Sometimes he had to remind himself that she only meant well, much as he did, but his face was hot and he felt like she was taking the whole thing in a totally different direction to what he was trying to do. 

"I'm just saying... Please be safe. You know I worry about you, and I worry about someone coming in and taking advantage of you." She finally finished. He knew that Donna didn't mean to say it like it was a blunt reminder of something, but it still stung. 

It stung because he had been hurt many times before by women who he thought were interested. It stung because it happens so many times even outside of dating. Dick wouldn't deny himself being distant around strangers sometimes... But he wasn't like that for most of his life- That was for sure. 

"Yeah. I know..." He muttered as he took his coffee and sipped it slowly. He was simple, he liked it black. 

"I know I'm not supposed to talk about it, but you really scared me last year with that whole-" Donna tried to start, but Dick cut her off before she could even say anything. 

"You're right. We are not allowed to talk about that. I get your concerns, and I really do appreciate them, Donna but I can assure you that if you saw this person you would instantly tell they are nothing like Catalina." 

Donna nodded, and Dick saw her shoulders become less tense, "Nothing like her... Okay, that's great and all but how do you-" 

He didn't allow for her to finish. Just the topic alone made his head hurt. He somewhat understood why she was bringing her up, but he honestly didn't want to be reminded. _Who would_? 

"Besides, think about it... I'm with Babs now! And you know how long I've had a crush on her." Dick said, snorting just ever so slightly. There was no way he was going to ruin a crush he had since he was fourteen just for someone who was a stranger (a pretty one, however). 

All Donna did was raise a brow in response. He knew she didn't know much about his current girlfriend, but over the month since he told her about Babs he couldn’t help but notice the faces Donna would make whenever he brought her up. 

It made him wonder if there was something she knew that he didn't, almost like she saw into his future. She's only given him those looks a few times and every time she did it made him tense. It made him too nervous to ask where that look was coming from. 

"I also have no idea what their gender is." Dick decided to counter. He figured he should have brought that up just to make sure that she knew what he meant by that. 

"What do you mean by that?" Donna asked, sounding almost offended. The look on her face showed that she was most certainly caught off guard by this topic. 

Dick adjusted his sunglasses to make sure she could not look into his eyes to get a good 'look' on what was going on with his head, "I just mean... When have I ever shown interest in someone I barely knew? And when have any of those people being a guy?" 

The answer was simple, and it horrified him that it was more often than he wanted. But that was just between himself, his mind, his journal, the library at his college campus, his browser's history and... Okay, maybe a few things could be evident, but he never told a single soul about it. 

Donna most certainly didn't have a clue but his odd current crisis, so he wasn't shocked when she said, "Okay, okay. I understand..." She began, sighing softly. 

She looked at him with slight concern, but whatever she was thinking she didn't say... Instead, she just told him to be safe. 

The air was still tense, however, they quickly changed the topic and talked about her son and how he was just starting to learn how to crawl. 

After they got to have their long get together and talked about everything, Dick went straight to Bruce's house and drank a whole pot of coffee. That whole interaction made him so much more tired, which was something he wasn't used to. 

He could have sworn that just a year ago, he could have handled conversations like that (even more intense) with such grace and ease. His mind was in a funk... Everything felt fuzzy lately. 

And even with drinking that full pot of coffee throughout the day, he still felt tired. 

He couldn't focus on the essay that he wanted to finish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in one day... I actually sketched this story out before hand! I have so many visuals going on in the comic, but that is something that I need to work on when it comes to writing.


	3. A Movie, Somewhat.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An intermission.

“I’m really happy you agreed to watch a movie with me tonight,” Babs whispered into Dick’s ear as they, or more like her, watched one of the new-er-er superhero movies she loved sitting through. Dick himself wasn’t much into those types of movies.

He felt a little bad when he thought this way, but he always considered superhero movies a little bit… Silly. However, Babs loved them. 

When they went on their first date, she asked him to go out to the movies with her. It was the first showing of the movie and it featured her favourite character. Dick agreed, simply because he was so happy to finally go on a date with the woman he had feelings for since he was just a kid. However, as they sat down in that dark and way too full of a room (for his comfort), he quickly learned he wasn’t really into the way the characters were written compared to their counterparts in the comics. He remembered how long he was holding his breath and counting just how many seconds would go by before he needed to breath more than he could recall the events in the movie. 

He thinks Babs was able to tell that he wasn’t the fondest of the movie, which made him feel pretty bad. The truth was, Dick was not the biggest fan of watching any kind of movie if it had people in it. He was more into watching things where he could focus on an animal or a building even. But who was going to sit down and watch something like that for the sake of being around him?  
Besides, it’s not the movie that matters, it was the chance to see his girlfriend again after spending months away from her. He missed her. From her hugs, her voice, her kisses… He would sit through a thousand boring movies if it meant that he got to be around her more. 

“I wanted to, plus it has the Cap in it. I kind of like his character.” Dick whispered back to her as he tried his best to keep his eyes on the screen. He could tell by the corner of his eye that she was watching him. He didn’t really know how to feel about that.

  
By the end of the movie, he and Babs exchanged their goodnights and headed back to their places. Babs needed to go to work early in the morning and Dick just wanted to finally get a good night’s sleep after having spent a week not falling asleep until five in the morning.   


Still,   


He couldn’t help but worry that he somehow ruined their date. Did he agree to make it too short without meaning to do so? Was she upset with him for trying to actually sit down and watch the movie with her instead of looking back at her? Should he have asked her out to dinner before they even went to the movie? He felt so self-conscious out of nowhere. He knew Babs was older than him by seven years, and she was more mature compared to him… Yet he always felt like when he did smaller things such as those, it made him all the more childish. Or selfish. 

He always found himself worrying that he was too young for her even when she told him that he was not ‘Why are you so paranoid about this?’.

He wasn’t really sure why he was so paranoid. Why he was so worried. 

He just wanted to be perfect for her, and she didn’t even ask him for that at all.   
He wondered sometimes to himself for little moments at a time if he really did like her as much as he claimed he did.

And that made him feel worse than he already did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad for having not updating this story for the last few days. This chapter was always the shortest, which is not what I wanted but no matter how many times I tried changing the chapter up, I always found that I could do nothing with it. I guess it is a more bland chapter for this story. Sorry for that.


	4. Asking a Question and Trying to Put Things Together.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason asks Dick if it would be all right if his friend could stay the night.

From working on Summer classes online to his part-time job, Dick had finally seen he lost track of time easily. Before he even could really count something as June the month was already done and over with. If he had to make arrangements for any birthdays, he clearly had forgotten about them. 

Something that Dick looked forward to the most about July was the heat- He was born in a hot state and when his parents were still alive, they would go to places that were warm year-round. Maybe he was just weird, but he wasn't Bruce or Jason, his body never adapted to the cold as well as theirs did. He took the hottest days in joy.

When he was still in high school, he would often sunbathe on the roof until Bruce would come out of the house and demand for him to get off. He would then go on long rants about how the sun was going to burn his skin and how sunbathing was a sure-fire way of getting skin cancer, but that didn't stop Dick from doing it again.

He didn't have the chance to do it last year because he was stuck on campus, and he wondered if stressing Bruce out was worth it in the long run. But he also liked being tan, so it was a long debate on what he really truly wanted. 

Right as he was pulling his hands away from his keyboard and taking a break from the essay paper he was working on (which then made him think about his previous summer experiences), he heard a knock on his door. He would admit that he wasn't expecting it- He jumped and gasped, losing focus on the topic he was on with himself. 

"Hey, Dick… Can I come in for a quick second?" He heard Jason ask. His voice was soft, which made Dick check the time first.

It was still the afternoon, and Bruce hated taking naps… Why was Jason so hushed? 

"Yeah, sure. Close the door when you come in, though." Dick answered. He couldn't help the confused expression that was creeping on his face, but if Jason was for some reason being soft-spoken, then he must have needed Dick's attention for something.

He closed his laptop to focus on Jason right as he walked in. Thankfully the younger man listened to Dick and closed his door before he sat on his bed. He sat with a little huff and sighed softly.

Dick turned his chair to face him, and he felt all the more curious as to why Jay was acting the way he was, "Something happen to you? You look like you got kicked while you were already down." 

Jason shook his head, "Nah… It's not like that. I just asked Bruce if Morgan could stay the night and he told me to ask you because he was going to be out of the house." 

Before Dick could really ask him what he meant by that, or why Bruce dodged the question, Jason went on, "But the issue was this: I'm not sure if it would be all right if Morgan was here without an adult here, you know?" 

All Dick could do was raise a brow at Jason's slightly frantic words, "What, are you indicating that I'm not an adult who can grant you permission to have your best friend over for the night?" 

"Okay, no. That's not what I meant, I meant it like… I would feel weird not having the parental 'yes', does that make sense?" Jason tried to explain.

"No." Dick told him firmly, knowing well that he was just pulling Jason's leg by this point, "If Bruce told you to come to me to ask that means that I'm the one who's making the rules and calling the shots."

"But I was hoping for- I didn't tell Bruce this, 'cause I didn't want him to freak out and tell me no right away- Um, I was hoping it could be for more than one night?" 

Oh?

"Yeah…" Jason whispered, almost like he was answering Dick’s question.

Did Dick just say that out loud and not even hear himself? Why was Jason hoping to have his friend over for that long? Did he skip a whole ass chapter in the book of his family life? 

"Jay," Dick started. He crossed his arms and leaned forward in his chair to get a better look at the clearly nervous boy on his bed, "Is there something going on between the two of you that you're too worried to tell Bruce about?" 

Jason blinked, almost confused about what Dick was asking. That is until he finally pieced the wording Dick's question together, "Are you asking me if he and I are dating?" 

Ah, so Morgan was a 'he'. 

"I mean, I think it makes sense. The way you're making this whole thing sound… It makes it seem like you want to-" Dick casually was trying to suggest before he was so rudely interrupted by the other male in the room.

"No. No! We are not dating! Oh my God, how could you even ask that?" Jason snapped. His cheeks were red and his brow was furrowed. 

Did he really offend him by even bringing up the idea? 

"Okay, okay, sorry if that wasn't what you meant." Dick tried to laugh off, still feeling a little caught off guard, "It's just the way you said everything. It made it sound-"

"No, it sounded like that to you." Jason sighed, shaking his head like he was trying to get the idea out of his head, "I just want to hang out with him. I don't really know if having him stay multiple nights would make Bruce uncomfortable, you know?" 

Dick still felt like he was missing a lot of information from Jason, however, he figured that he was never really going to get any answers from him concerning his reaction from before.

So Dick just shrugged and let out a soft hum, "I guess I understand. How long were you wanting him to stay?" 

"Three days…? That is if you're totally okay with it! Two days is fine, too." Jason answered. Dick noted that Jay's cheeks lightened up a lot after he left the subject alone.

"That is fine, just don't do anything crazy and know that I am going to check on you both a lot. Probably once an hour just to annoy you." Dick snorted, enjoying the way Jason rolled his eyes at the last comment.

As if he was saying 'You already annoy me, Asshat.'

“So, you’re okay with it?” Jason asked, “I just want to make double sure because I don’t want you to see him and get mad at me or, you know… Something like that.”

Dick will never understand why Jason was so high-strung towards certain topics. Considering that he had only known Jason for three years, and one of those years he was away in Uni, Dick really didn’t know that much about him.

Bruce adopted him quite suddenly, and he didn’t really go into great depth about what Jay’s life was before he came into theirs. Sometimes when Jason reacted nervously about some topics, Dick wondered if it was from his family before. Sometimes Dick wanted to ask what was wrong, but he also understood how uncomfortable being forced to talk about things he didn’t want to dive into was.  
“Yeah, Jay. It’s all right with me. Don’t get a heart attack, okay?” Dick decided to say.

Thankfully that got a grin in response, “Thanks. I’ll let him know.” 

And just like that Jason was out of the room and gone. 

Dick felt happy, he liked knowing that he made someone’s day a little better. He didn’t want to really think it, but somewhere deep down in his gut also leapt at the idea of getting the chance to see Jason’s gorgeous friend again. His cheeks warmed at the very idea of seeing his face, and Dick had to shake his to keep his thoughts at bay.

He has a girlfriend. 

He’s only been interested in guys just recently.

This is Jason’s best friend (from the sounds of it), what if Jason had a crush on him and was just too shy to say something?

Besides, Morgan was only staying the night to spend time with Jason and Dick was sure he was going to be locked in his room doing various things. There would be no way they would really cross paths too much. Why did it matter so much to him anyway?

Dick never shook his head so much in his life, and he could feel it causing dizziness for him. He decided that he would much rather just write on his computer to help distract his mind from all of the ideas and question and thoughts in his head until something just dawned on him.

If Bruce was going to be away from the house for a few days, why did he tell Jason and not him? 

Now Dick was feeling a bit upset because either Bruce wasn’t telling him things he needed to know or Jason had just lied to him to get what he wanted. Either outcome were things he didn’t like. At all. Not one bit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that I am going to try to write more interactions between Dick and Jason as this story goes on, but I am somewhat worried about doing this at the same time. I'm worried that as the story furthers and the future events will cause a huge rift between the both of them, however I am still working on everything for this.  
> Some parts of the story might change from the first draft.


	5. In Which He Rammed Right In.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce leaves Dick in charge of the house for the next week. Jason gets his wish of having Morgan over, and Morgan walks in on something he shouldn't have seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is explicit.

As it turned out, Jason wasn't lying to him. Bruce announced to both of them during dinner that he was going to be gone for a week. He didn't really give too many details about what was going on, but Dick could gather that it must have been related to a family matter. 

Bruce never talked about his extended family too much, which he understood. That whole situation itself was a long messy story that made his brain hurt every single time it was told. 

On the other hand, Bruce enjoyed his job and was normally happily talking about it. Whenever he had to be away for work, he was much more talkative about what was happening…

Dick was sure Jason had figured it was some sort of business trip, not knowing about Bruce's surprisingly crazy life… _So ha_. By the end of the day, Dick still knew more about him than Jason did.

But that was not important. More petty thinking, honestly.

*

It was the day Bruce was planning to leave. He and Dick were standing outside of their front porch, and he could not shake the feeling of uncertainty of what was going to happen once Bruce left.

"So… How long are you really planning on being gone?" Dick asked, knowing that the man was much more willing to talk about serious matters with him.

"It's something to do with my aunt and uncle," Bruce said with a resentful tone, "Suppose it has to do something with my cousins or something like that. Really don't care but." 

Bruce shrugged, and rubbed the back of his neck, "Family is family I guess. I'll deal with them for two days or three. After I'll be taking the rest of the time for myself. Depends on how sane I feel after dealing with them." 

Bruce made a face as he could almost see how horribly his time with them was going to be and Dick laughed at this.

"God if you are really going to be so unhappy with them, I wish you luck!" Dick said between bits of laughter. 

Bruce only sighed, "I'll need it." 

Then his eyes widened for a brief moment, "Oh right… Morgan is going to be staying the night, right?" 

Dick nearly forgot about that whole thing. It was a week since Jason asked and he never brought it up once more, "I guess? I almost forgot about that." Dick admitted.

Bruce chuckled and quickly checked his watch, "I did too until Jay brought it up last night. I was just going to ask you if you could keep an eye on them in case they tried to do anything." 

"As in?" Dick asked, rather concerned. Were they bigger troublemakers than Dick knew?

Bruce groaned, but stopped himself from being too loud about it, "Fine, I won't walk around the topic. I don't think those two are just friends if you know what I mean."

Dick nodded his head, fully knowing what he meant, "I get it. I asked Jay about it and he freaked out when I did. I think you might be right, but… Just in case he's being honest, I'm not too worried about it." 

Bruce rolled his eyes- Something Dick realized over the years was that the man only did that around him, "Jason's a teenager. I doubt that he's being as honest as he could be." 

"Bruce, I doubt he even knows-" 

"Just be sure that Morgan sleeps in the guest bedroom, please? That's all I'm asking." 

"All right, fine. I'll do that." 

Bruce smiled gently and patted Dick's shoulder gently, "Thanks Dick. I have to get going now, my plane's going to be leaving in a little over an hour and a half and I want to be early."

Dick nodded, looking down at the ground to avoid looking at the right in the eyes.

"I love you," Bruce told him firmly. And Dick was still, even after living with him over ten years was getting used to those words.

"You too." Happened to be the only thing he could say. That got a nice squeeze from Bruce.

"And please be safe. If you ever need someone to talk to, please give me a call." 

Dick snorted softly at Bruce's concern for his mental health, "No please call me, I am going to be going crazy if I only have to talk to my family." 

All Dick could do was roll his eyes at that, “You’re going to be fine. I am sure of it.” 

And with that, Bruce gave Dick a smile and got into his car to drive off. It was quick, it was simple and that final bit of interaction was something Dick was used to. 

He had the house to himself, and with Jason off doing his own thing for the next few hours… It appeared he finally had a moment for himself. A time to get lost in his own head. Usually, he would have pulled a bottle of wine from one of Bruce’s cupboards and pretended to pour himself a glass, he felt like he was being clever that way- Almost like he was a fully grown man by doing something so lame. He would then watch a movie by himself and watch something that only he knew he would like. 

Back when he was all by himself, small things such as those were easy enough to satisfy him. Now, he wasn’t too sure. Back on campus, his roommate was always in their dorm and he never really gave Dick any time of day to himself. Whether it be from him wanting to ‘Hang Out’ or from him being a total asshole and bringing a girl over to sleep well. It was almost like he had non-time for himself at all. It drove him a little crazy, which was one of the reasons why he was delighted to be back at home with Bruce. 

However, since coming back both Bruce and Jason have been at the house a lot more. As much as he enjoyed their company, Dick wasn’t the happiest about having someone in the house at the same time as he was at all times. 

He had almost forgotten how quiet it was… How truly nice the feeling was to just be alone. And in some way, he felt a tinge of sexual desire come bubbling out. It had been so long since he had the time to really take care of himself. So long since he even gave himself the chance to think those sorts of thoughts with such ease as he used to be able to do. If he wanted to, if he so chose this desire to run straight to his room and peel off his clothes and get right into bed to get down and dirty…

...This was perhaps the only and best time to do so. And if he had the whole night to himself? That would just allow him to lay back and relax for the rest of it. 

Which is what he decided to do. He was naked, alone, in his bed. His thoughts were all over the place, but he still had an idea of what he wanted to imagine while he was doing this. He wasn’t someone who really thought about others when he was in the mood to do this, he was more of the type to just allow the feeling to take over.

He… Also was a bit of a freak when it came to sex too. He wasn’t really sure where it came from- Kory was pretty tame and for the most part Babs was too, so he was sure it was not based on pure experience, but there were… Other things that could have gotten in the way of just wanting something nice and simple. He knew exactly why that was the case, however, to say it? To even think that the reason why… 

None of it was good, so he made sure that if he was going to engage in those thoughts, he was going to do it whenever he was alone. 

One of these desires was a simple one. He had always wanted to be forced on his stomach with both of his knees bruised to the point where they hurt so much. He would wince at them even touching the sheets of his bed. His lover would slam inside of him and they would always be so sloppy. They would be sweating and so would he, he would be marked all over by them via bruising, hickies, maybe even lipstick and it would always be astounding for him. 

That was an uncomplicated one, but it always caused his body to become hot and make him so hard so quickly. He made sure to keep the door closed, yet he could not lock it. The only entrees in the house that could lock were Bruce’s door, the only guestroom and the bathroom. He didn’t luck out in that case scenario. The biggest reason why Dick had to plan this whole thing out.

So he was alone, pressed up against his nice clean sheets and palming his crotch to get himself fully aroused. He wasn’t sure why humping something helped him get more aroused faster than having his cock wrapped around his hand, maybe it was psychological or something but his brain was elsewhere. His fingers gingerly rubbed the head of his cock, loving the way it was already so wet and he shivered. 

He taught himself to be quiet over the years. To suppress any moaning or whines to make sure no one ever heard him, but this time around he caught himself moaning so softly- He would have even said it even sounded sweet. 

He felt curious too, he liked being blindfolded whenever he was touching himself but he had nothing to really cover his eyes up. He kept them closed as time went on, but he needed to get his lube to at least give him an easier time to finger himself. 

He bought the lube when he was coming back home for the Summer. He mainly did so due to being curious about how that felt, so he got the one that smelt nice and tasted even better somehow. If he were to have found that when he was a kid he would have totally mistaken that for some sort of tasty paste and ate it all in one go. 

Not much to his surprise when he was alone in his hotel room and trying this out, he found that it was hard getting into it when the only thing he was thinking about was _‘I’m putting these in there, oh God why is this so painful and gross?'_. He had to, much like with everything else, think about things that kept his mind away from what was happening just then. It helped, it especially helped thinking about one of his older teachers that he sort of had a crush on (without really knowing it) when he was a kid helping guide him through the process.

The first time he fingered himself, he came four times. His cock was sore after, but the experience certainly made him feel way looser than he had ever felt before. Unfortunately, he was not able to have the same experience since… It was great while it lasted! 

He tried to adjust himself in the exact position he wanted to be in the most, stomach on the bed, ass up and his face hiding from seeing anything else. Unlike the first time he did this, his fingers went in with ease. His thoughts weren’t really on anyone as he started doing this and still weren't as he hit his favourite spot.

He was three fingers deep when he heard something like a door closing. At first, he felt his heart racing, however, he just didn't care by that point. He felt such an intense need to get himself to finish off before he could even be seen by anyone else. 

Like a fool, he had made the assumption that Jason was the one who came home.

He buried his face deeper into his bed, moving both of his faster. This caused his hips to shake and without meaning to do so, he let out a painful moan that could have shattered his mirror- 

What happened next could have been the start to an awful punchline… Or an all right porno. 

Before he could even lift his head from his bed, he heard his door open and a loud screech.

"Oh my God, I am so so sorry!" He heard the younger man say. Dick could hear his feet scrambling to get some sort of footing.

Dick quickly brought his head up to meet the awful fate of having to look Morgan right in the eyes. He opened his mouth, but no words could even come out. Instead, he felt his stomach turn and his heart sink fast. If he were a weaker man he would have thrown up in shame.

All he could honestly do was sit there in his bed, fingers still where they previously were and his eyes just staring right at Morgan’s. 

His cheeks were flooded with red, making his freckles look all the more prominent and Dick was sure his eyes were just as wide as Dick’s. This clearly was not how they thought either of their days would go and it is pretty clear to see just how miserable that made Morgan. 

Dick, still being stuck on his words, really did try to speak out. He tried to make sure that Morgan was all right but instead, he was met with a few, _“I’m so sorry!”_ and the door slamming right in his face as he tried to gather his mind up from being broken into pieces. 

_**Holy shit, holy fuck.** _

How was he going to explain himself? How was he going to try to talk to Morgan's face to face after he saw all of that? How was he going to explain this to Jason if Morgan ever tried talking about the whole situation with him? How can he ever think those fantasies when all he will ever think about is his little brother’s friend looking at him in sheer shock?

Dick huddled into himself, so stuck in his own head- He couldn’t face the younger man after going through that. He knew that he would have to eventually, but for the moment he needed to hide from the further shame he might ensue. 


	6. Dinner and Sucking in a Few Tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking a few days to add the next chapter. I suffered through an awful headache for the last few days and I wanted one more day to recover before writing again. I also work a lot, so I can only write from my phone during those times.
> 
> This chapter was meant to be in two parts, but I wanted to out them together seeing that they both would have been too short for my enjoyment.

By the time Dick felt safe enough to get out of his room, Jason had already been home for a good two hours. He was certain that the two guys were in Jay’s room doing whatever they usually did. He was also certain due to that he would not have the _miserable_ post-orgasm bump in with either of them. He was also hungry. 

Because despite all of his flaws (that only he really saw in himself), he was always sure that he ate at least three times a day. And this round was dinner, which he typically used his better cooking skills to use. 

He was sure that he was walking out of his room as quietly as possible. Once he got to the kitchen he was definite that neither men heard him leave his room, when he started to turn on the stove and got every dish and ingredient out for full use Dick was sure that he wasn’t going to be bothered. 

It wasn’t until the water started to boil that someone came stomping their way down the hall and into the kitchen. Just from the sound of it alone, Dick knew it was his brother and that he was livid. Knowing how often Jason has shown anger (which shockingly little), Dick felt a shiver run through his body. 

Before Jason even had the chance to speak, the first thing Dick thought was _‘Well, not everything that boils turns to vapour.’_.

“What did you do?” The way he said it sounded so forced, so strained. Dick knew full well what he did, he just somehow knew but to have such a reaction still made him feel freaked out. 

“What do you mean by that, Jay?” He asked. He couldn’t really look his brother in the eyes due to the shame he felt. For God’s sake… If it was just for Morgan walking in on him, this shouldn’t have been such a big deal!

“I don’t know!” He snapped, almost sounding like he was shouting at him, “All I know is that as soon as I came back, Morgan was shaken up slightly and every time I’ve asked him ‘bout it, he’s said nothing!”

Dick bit the inside of his cheek. Not enough to make it bleed, but if things kept going in the direction he thought they were he might as well have. 

He tried to continue back into his cooking, all the while he tried to make up an excuse as to what might have happened. Was it really any of Jason’s business? He was just assuming things and making Dick feel pressured into talking to him about something that was borderline personal. 

“Maybe it has to do with something back at home?” Dick wondered, trying his best to sound like he was being sincere. 

He looked over his shoulder to watch Jason’s brow tighten and for him to shake his head, “That wouldn’t make any sense at all. If it were something relating to his home life he would have told me.” He saw that Dick was looking at him, “Plus, he was with me for a good hour before walking to the house. He was fine then, but as soon as I come back he’s not?”

Like Dick thought, his teeth dug harder, he could taste some iron. 

What could he say? What could he come up with? Clearly, even Morgan wasn’t willing to talk about it, so why should he?

Dick frowned and shook his head as well. 

“Jay, I wish I could help-”

“I know how you are Dick. I know that sometimes you get weird around people.” Jason finally said. He crossed his arms and looked away from him. Seemingly interested in looking at the wall. 

“What is that supposed to mean? I get weird? Isn’t that your deal?” Now he was getting upset. Where the Hell did this come from? He had always been decent around others, and everyone he has ever met has told him that he was wonderful to be around.

“I can’t help that I’m awkward!” Jason snapped, but he quickly caught himself and tried to seem calm again, “Besides, I used the wrong wording. I meant People get weird around you. It’s pretty easy to tell too.”

What was Jason going on about? Dick could not help but make a confused sound as he tried to figure out what Jason meant by that.

"You're a lot to take in, and like, if you said or did something to him, I just wanna know. I just want to make things better." Jason mumbled.

Dick just rolled his eyes.

"I'm being serious!"

"No, I get that but I just don't see how I am too much for people. He and I haven't even seen each other since he came in." Dick told him, knowing full well that he was lying through his teeth.

He could only hope that his ability was good enough for Jason to leave him alone.

"So you're telling me that you two just somehow haven't seen or spoken to each other and in the span of him leaving and-" Jason rubbed his face in his hands hard, groaning in annoyance, "This makes no sense at all! It doesn't add up." 

Well damn, guess it turned out he might have not been as good about avoiding a topic as he wanted to be.

"Okay, Jay, fine! Something did happen! Happy? Do you feel better knowing now?" Dick turned around to face him fully and yes. While he knew how harshly he spoke to him, Dick could not care.

Jason tensed up and frowned a little, "Yeah, I guess… But what happ-"

"Oh I don't know, we watched a house burn down, or we had a shared traumatic experience, whatever it could have been… It's not any of your business!"

Dick knew he shouldn't have reacted the way he did. He could see just how red Jason’s pale cheeks went. He looked away from Dick. Almost like what he had said was too much for him all at once. 

He felt bad. 

"Sorry…" Dick whispered, rubbing his arm in shame. 

"It's fine… I shouldn't have asked anything." Jason admitted, rubbing his neck- Something he did whenever he felt nervous. 

It was strange how both of them had similar ticks. He tried to not think too deeply about it. 

"No, no it is not fine. I should have been cool about this." Dick tried to assure. He felt bad.

All Jason wanted to do was make sure his friend was okay and Dick snapped because he was insecure. A part of him knew that nothing really was his fault, but he still felt the need to make it up to him.

"Um… Hey, you know I have a lot of food. Would you guys want to eat dinner with me?" He asked. Dick would have winced in front of Jason on a normal day over how forced he would have felt saying that.

He guessed this was a little different.

Despite him feeling one way, Jason was the one who did the wincing, "You're not tugging on my leg are you?" 

"Not at all. I mean, I was planning on just making for one person, but what's a little extra preparation? Plus, I'm pretty sure if I don't use some of these ingredients now it'll just rot in a few days." Dick explained as wanted for Jason's response.

Jason was silent for a moment, but he gave a small nod, "Sure… I'll tell Morgan about it."

Well, he didn't have to act like Dick never invited him to do anything or eat with him at all. Geez… 

*

It took Dick some time to get everything cooked and to have the table all set up. Dick was sure that Jason must have told Morgan about the dinner plans as soon as he left. The younger man would frequently walk into the kitchen and ask if he could help with anything.

Dick wasn't really sure how he felt about that, he would tell him that he was fine and to not worry about it. The times that he did say that, Morgan would look disappointed. 

He didn't really understand. He was the guest, so why was he wanted to help out so much? Did he feel guilty for the whole walking in thing or did he just want to know Dick? He was sure it wasn't the second thing. 

He tried to also not think too deeply about that. Especially when the two friends sat down when Dick called them out to eat in the dining room.

It took a moment for everyone to settle down. Once they did Jason went right into eating. 

Dick guessed that was fair.

"Hey, thanks for accepting my invitation to dinner, you two." Dick started, hoping to start some sort of discussion. He hated eating in silence.

Jason was thankfully polite enough to chew on his food with his mouth closed, and only spoke once he swallowed, "No thank you! This is so much better than making something on my own." 

Morgan seemed more interested in looking at his food than eating or talking. After he realized he needed to speak or something like that he softly whispered, "Yes… It smells really good. Thank you for taking the time to make us food." 

"Morgan, you have no need to be so formal around me!" Dick teased, and the younger smiled- 

He straight up snorted at the comment! Dick always loved hearing that, it was cute to him. 

"Oh God, please." Jason stated, laughing along with the soft snort from Morgan, "That's just how he is. For the first week that we met he would only call me Todd!" 

Morgan adjusted his clunky glasses, the smile never leaving his face. Dick couldn't help but notice the blush on his cheeks once more, "I can't help it… I was raised on manners."

Jason smiled even more and bumped Morgan's shoulder with his elbow, "More like you just enjoyed making me feel old and stiff."

Morgan laughed by this point, "Stiff?! I made you feel stiff of all things. Damn…"

Dick let out a fake gasp to show how 'shocked' he was over Morgan swearing.

It seemed that any tension that might have been only a bit ago dissolved. The three of them went back and forth, for a second it made Dick forget everything that had happened between the two of them. 

Well, almost. Every so often as he and Jason made comments to one another he would look at Morgan (because it was a strange habit of his to look at someone, just to make sure people knew he was listening). Whenever he did, Morgan would look right back at him, smile just slightly and nervously look away. 

Every single time when that happened, it made Dick’s stomach turn into knots. It made him feel awful, he really needed to talk to this guy about what he saw as soon as Jason was out of the room. 

But for now, he supposed he could engage in small talk with him. 

“So Morgan!” Dick started, trying to keep things lighter, “I’m shocked that you and Jason are so close yet I know nothing about you!”

Morgan’s cheeks looked like they were growing warm as he quickly looked at Dick, “Really? I guess I’m just a little shy is all. I also think that there’s not a lot to talk about… You know?” 

Jason scoffed at the last comment, “Nothing to talk about? There’s plenty. Like for example, he’s two grades above what he’s supposed to be. Not only that but he’s got one of the highest grades in the-”

“That’s nothing to really brag about… Besides, intelligence can only get me so far in life. Socially I have found that I’m a mess.” Morgan countered. Dick would have considered that he was humble if he didn’t sound so upset about his smarts. 

“Well, then how about this? He’s the leader of the LGBT club at our school. He was the one who demanded that we have the club in the first place.” Jason tried saying. 

Morgan’s shoulders looked a little less tense when Jason brought that up, “Mhm… I had to fight hard for that. Though it does seem like a lot of people who are members are nervous about, you know, being a member.”

Dick readjusted himself in his chair and listened to what the younger man had to say. He could tell just how sad it made Morgan… And if Dick were honest, he would have been too nervous about joining the club himself. While he always considered himself an ally, he never really… Thought about joining a club. 

“People just get nervous about things. You have me, at least.” Jason remarked, nudging Morgan a little to help ease things. 

“I do. Thank you.” Morgan acknowledged with a small nod, “There’s also that girl Chole.”

Jason hissed at her name and Morgan laughed.

“She’s so weird, Dick! You have no idea!” Jason tried to explain when he heard Dick laughing at him as well. 

“Oh Jay, you have to admit that even though she is weird, she is the only other person who has shown up to all the meetings. She’s also really sweet.” Morgan snorted, “Plus, she thinks we’re cute so that’s always nice!”

Jason groaned and Dick looked at him with a slightly confused expression. 

“I think she likes you, Jay.” Morgan teased, which earned him a kick from Jason, “ _Ouch_! Dude!”

“Yeah, you like that don’t you? I’ve got plenty more if you want to test that out.” Jason grumbled. 

Watching this exchange play out, Dick wondered if he behaved in the same manners with his own friends. While Roy was the only one who would typically get a rise out of him, he saw quickly just how different the two of them were from anything he had ever seen.

He wanted to ask if they were dating, be more upfront with them, but something told him that he should just mind his own business.

“So that must mean that you’re a part of the community, Morgan?” Dick guessed. Still wanting to know more about him, and slowly seeing just how pretty he was.

Morgan’s eyelashes were long and pale, his freckles ran across his cheeks to the tip of his ears and his face looked so round and soft. He was sure that if he pinched his cheeks there would have been so much still left to grab. 

Morgan gave a sheepish smile and tugged some of the hair that was getting in his face back behind his ear, “Um, that is the case… I’m gay.”

Jason looked nervously between him and Morgan. He seemed like he was scared about Dick saying something awful towards Morgan, or something might happen but the younger (and slightly shorter) friend stayed firm and his face looked serious. 

"Oh, cool." What was he supposed to say to that? "God, sorry that was an awful response. I just never had someone say that to me before?” 

“No, no, it’s fine! I wasn’t expecting you to really say anything at all.” Morgan replied as his smile grew, “Thank you for not being weird about it.”

Jason rolled his eyes, clearly seeing that he was slowly being tuned out from this interaction. He pulled his chair, took his (quickly) cleared off the plate and walked away from the table as he announced that he was done and going back to his room. 

Seeing how fast Jason was at eating made Dick realize how much he hasn’t eaten. He didn’t even feel hungry anymore, “Ah… Sorry. I’m the brother, not a friend. Yet here I am, taking up your time.” Dick muttered. 

“Mm,” Morgan began, slowly starting to eat the dinner, “It’s not you. I promise. He always gets like this whenever someone else is talking to me. I think he gets jealous easily.” He shrugged and made a soft delightful sound as he finally started to eat the meal, “This is so good- You did this all yourself?”

Dick nodded feeling quite pleased with himself, “Yes. Ever since my parents- Ever since I started living with Bruce I made sure I knew how to cook, clean and take care of myself. Just in case something happened to him. I have some recipes from both my parents and whenever I get the chance to, I like cooking their meals.” 

Morgan gave Dick a sad look, “What happened to your parents?”

Dick’s mouth went dry and his stomach went back to feeling worse than it did before. He knew just how strange saying he was an orphan was to strangers, it made him feel like he was a century old. Like he wasn't real at all. 

But… Better to say it now than never, “My parents died when I was eight… And my other family members, uh, they kind of just didn’t care for reasons I would rather not go into… And well, Bruce kind of came in. Before we met, I was sent to a shitty foster home.” 

“Oh…” Morgan muttered.

“I kind of jumped from foster home to foster home. It was a lot… I guess Bruce heard somehow and felt bad for me.” Dick further explained, trying his best to not have his voice tremble. 

He hated it when he felt sad, and he hated crying. Especially in front of someone, he didn’t even know the last name of. 

“So… You started to do things on your own. It wasn’t like you wanted to, it was because you felt like you needed to.” Morgan contemplated out loud. If the air wasn’t so tense (once more with even more feeling, fuck), Dick would have made a quip or something of the sort.

Instead, his voice cracked, “Y-yeah. I was worried that one day he would kick me to the curb.” 

Morgan was silent for a moment, and then he coughed softly, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ask if it was none of my business. That’s such a heavy topic to suddenly ask someone about.”

“I would rather talk about it? People tend to just act as nothing happened and that I have to move on from it. It’s almost like I’m not allowed to say anything, or even talk about my mom and dad.” Dick admitted, biting the inside of his cheek once again. 

Morgan nodded. The look on his face seemed focused, but he said nothing more.

“Bruce… He’s all right with me talking about them. But, I don’t know… I feel guilty when I do. Almost embarrassed. Almost like everything about me is too much.”

“What is there to be ashamed of? You miss them, you love them. The fact that you look so fondly back must mean that they were good people, and for that, I think there’s nothing wrong with that.” Morgan said. 

Dick saw that he hadn’t eaten much since he started this whole thing, “I know… But personally, I… Kind of don't really want to keep going. You’re a guest, not a therapist. And the food will go bad.”

Morgan gave Dick a cautious smile, and, without much thought from either of them it seemed, he reached his hand over to caress Dick’s. He looked down at his hand to see the younger man’s. He was a little shocked to see that there wasn’t much of a size difference between them.

Mostly he was shocked by how scarred the boy’s hands were. It looked like someone took a knife and slashed them all over. God, what a depressing thought to have.

He caught himself looking, and his face felt hot. It was surely a simple gesture, but something made it feel so intimate. He could feel Morgan’s eyes on their hands as well. Like he wasn’t sure what he had just done, or why he did it. Timidly, Morgan’s thumb rubbed soothingly along one of Dick’s knuckles- A gesture that made his heart skip a beat despite it being something he should have grown used to.

He knew he should pull away, tell him that he wasn’t single and that he wasn’t really sure if he was that into the other man. He should, he knew this. Yet this feeling of warmth, it was strange. He felt it once or twice before with Kory and Babs, but something about this felt new to him. 

Maybe it was simply due to this coming from another man, or it was because it was someone doing this to him instead of it being the other way around? 

“Ah… I know this might be a drastic turn from before, but I wanted to apologize for what you saw.” Dick confessed, his cheeks and forehead still feeling hot. 

“Never be. I was the one who slammed into your bedroom.” Morgan giggled, but he got the picture and pulled his hand away, “Things like that happen. You’ve got nothing to feel bad about.”

They were both back in basking in silence until Dick spoke up again, “You should probably go back. Jason might think I kidnapped you or something like that.”

“Yea… I probably should do just that.” Morgan laughed, “Oh. And I’m a night owl. So if you hear pattering around past Jason’s usual sleep schedule, it’s me.”

He could not help the feeling a grin come across his face, “Well what do you know. So am I! If you ever want someone to chat with, just knock on my door twice and I’ll let you know. No need to be bored here.” 

It was meant to be a simple suggestion. Morgan bowed his head side to side as if he would put it into consideration, “I would like that very much. But, before I go, about the dish-”

“Don’t worry, I will clean it up,” Dick told him as he got up from his chair and started gathering both their plates.

Before Morgan left and Dick went into the kitchen, the… Was Morgan shorter than him? He was maybe an inch off, anyways, he looked like he wanted to say or do something to him. But whatever it was that he wanted to say, he never did. 

Instead, he ran off and Dick was left to clean up all the dishes from dinner except Jason’s. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the story goes, it feels like some of the chapters are becoming longer and longer. I also feel like, in a strange way, my writing has slightly improved? Well, at least I would hope so.


	7. It was a Night, with a Confession and a Kiss.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was only meant to be a simple talk. How did things get so out of hand?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly do mean it when I say this chapter was only meant to be 1,000 to 2,000 words. I don't really know how this go so out of hand and I am so sorry it took me so long to write this. This was only meant to be an intermission but as I kept writing, the more and more I enjoyed what was going on.  
> I feel like this chapter might seem like a mess as compared to my other chapters. I tried editing it as much as I could, but I also really loved the end results despite the messiness.

As the days and nights went by, Dick had found that Morgan was not an awful housemate to have around. He also could not help but notice that the friend was staying around rather often during the month. After the first night when he stayed over, the younger man would go to the kitchen and wash dishes with him. He would also help with any house chore that needed to be done, and by the time Jason would go to bed Morgan usually stayed in the guestroom and minded his own business. 

When Dick asked Jason why Morgan even slept in another room, his brother looked him right in the eyes and said, “You know for a fact that I snore.” 

He did, and he was loud enough to keep even Bruce awake. 

Dick liked having Morgan around. He was a quiet and polite guest, and he was almost sad whenever he would announce that he had to go back to his house. Each time he knew it was going to come soon, but still. 

On that night, he had guessed that they were both up later than a normal human should have been. Dick was sitting at his desk and watching something revolving around cooking since he considered finishing another essay paper to be a celebration. He wasn’t sure why cooking shows always calmed a certain part of him down, but he guessed it had something to do with his brain wiring. Normally these sort of things helped put him to sleep, especially after spending an hour and a half working out. 

However, due to him probably suffering from insomnia, he also accepted being tired but not tired enough to fall asleep. 

He was drifting in and out of his mind, not sure what to think about but his mind staying focused on something he was really sure about. Until that focus was gone by a light tapping on his door. Dick’s mind, now focused, he closed the laptop’s lid and turned on the lamp’s light so he could actually see what was going on. 

“You can come in.” He called out. He somewhat figured it was Morgan, but when he saw him in nothing but a sweater and night shorts he still felt a bit caught off guard. 

“Oh… Hey, Morgan.” Dick greeted, only noticing a little too late just how his voice sounded like it was caught off guard. 

Morgan placed his hands close to his chest and looked a little timid at the greeting. It almost seemed like he thought Dick didn’t want him in the same room as he, quickly he mumbled, “I just thought, you said if…”

“I did say that, so don’t feel bad or shy. I was just caught off guard.” Dick quickly reassured. He got off the desk chair and walked over to the younger man to look him over, “Did you need something?”

Morgan shook his head slowly, “Not really. I just wanted to spend time with you before I had to go in the morning. I have no idea when I will be able to see you next…” Morgan confessed as he looked down at the carpeted floor. 

“Well, I have until mid-September before I need to move back into campus officially,” Dick explained, slowly freaking himself out over not knowing what classes he needed to take for that semester. 

He shook his head, not wanting to get into that topic yet. 

“Ah… So I only have two months to hang out with you until you can have your Winter break?” Morgan asked softly. He seemed like he was almost seeming abashed over asking and saying such things to him. 

Maybe he should have felt that way, Dick didn’t really know. 

“Mhm.” Dick decided to answer. It was short, but at least it was to the point. 

Morgan shifted a little and looked like he almost tripped on nothing, not looking like he was sure what he was supposed to be doing next. Dick would have considered those sorts of movements childish. It reminded him of when he was around his first crush, how he wanted to be around her for long moments at a time but wasn’t really sure of what he should do or say. 

It made him feel bad.

"Though I have to admit that I am not really worth the time, all I really do is work and write." With the occasional work out on the side, but at the rate with how busy he had been, it was three times a week- When it originally had been six times a week.

"That's fine! I'm not very interesting to be around either." Morgan smiled as he kept his eyes on the carpet, "I mean if you want me to not be here that's fine." 

"No, I was the one who offered." He said, "You can sit if you want." 

Morgan raised an eyebrow as he looked around to see where he could sit.

"On the bed, or the chair next to my desk. Or the floor if you're weird and want to have a sore butt for the next few hours." Dick suggested as he shrugged.

The slightly smaller of the two climbed on his bed and adjusted himself way more easily than Dick would have ever guessed. Normally he would have been nervous about sitting on someone's bed that he barely knew.

Should he make a joke? Comment on it?

"Well, now I know where exactly we stand on things." Dick laughed, pulling his chair around to be able to face Morgan better.

Morgan smirked, "I have slept in a lot of beds, it's not that weird." 

"Would it be awful of me to ask for context?" 

Morgan laid on the bed and stared at his ceiling. Dick was sure he could see the glowing star stickers he placed on there when he was trying to make his room look more interesting all the way back in 8th grade.

"It's a long story?" Was all the younger man could answer with, and even then he seemed unsure of himself, "I moved around a lot. Never really had a lot of stability in my life."

He said it like it was totally normal. Like everyone around him should have totally understood where he came from. Dick should have, considering what he had been through. 

But something about the way he said it just seemed so unfamiliar to him. 

“I think I get it…” Dick finally said, looking at the way his blanket shifted in place as Morgan moved it around to get comfortable, “Were you put on the same boat as me?” 

Morgan nodded slowly, “I guess that’s why I understood what you meant a few days ago. When you felt like you weren’t allowed to bring up the past. It’s so hard, you know? So many people- They don’t say anything, they just kind of give you a look. Like you know they’re talking about you behind their backs.”

Dick sighed, knowing that some people have gossiped about him here and there. While many people swore up and down he had it all (from looks to intelligence to a possible career path), there were just as many people who claimed that something about him just seemed ‘off’. 

“Am I saying too much…?” Morgan asked softly. It must have been a lot for him to finally say all of this at once to someone- Might not be the first time he was doing it, but it might be one of the few times ever.

“Not at all,” Dick answered, thinking that at least answering for him might make him feel more at ease with everything, “It just sucks that we’re made to feel that way. That we have to feel like we have to meet other people's standards of what they want us to be. It’s dreadful and I totally get it.”

Morgan stopped moving around in the bed, stopped seeming like he was getting himself comfy and just looked at Dick fully for the first time since he came into his room. For a moment, Dick thought that he was going to make some announcement with how his eyes went wide and his mouth opened for that moment, but instead, he just bowed his head. Almost as if he had to tell himself not to say anything at all.

"I don't even know who my parents are." The younger man confessed, "I know, how common is that really? And it sucks all the more too. I try to be understanding and relate to everyone but it's…" He trailed off, trying to find his words.

"...Always going to hard for others to see your point of view, right?" Dick tried to guess for him.

Morgan nodded, "I guess what I am trying to say is that I am glad that you can kind of get where I'm coming from."

While Dick wasn’t really expecting to know every little thing about the younger man (and he was certain he still didn’t really), he did appreciate that Morgan was comfortable enough to say all of this to him. All of it must have been festering in the back of his mind for years. It made him wonder just how much Jason knew about Morgan’s home life. 

Did he really have a home life?

“I hope you don’t mind me asking… But when you do go back to your house, do you have a safe environment to go back to?” Dick wondered, looking right into Morgan’s eyes. 

Despite them coming across as relaxed and almost droopy, he noticed that Morgan’s eyes were actually huge. Though it can only really be seen when he was caught off guard. 

Which he was with that question.

“Sort of? Uh…” Morgan looked down and started to rub his hands together nervously, “I’m living with my grandpa at the moment.” 

Dick hummed at this response, “Are you being honest or did I make you feel uncomfortable with the question? I just… Want to make sure I know your boundaries before I ask or say anything stupid.”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Morgan said, almost trying to calm any sort of strange feeling he must have been having down, “I do live with my grandfather. We’ve only met a few years ago, but we’re trying to make up for the lost time. Before then I lived with some teens a little older than me.”

Living with someone you only met a few years ago must have been a lot, and before that? With teenagers? That must have been an awful situation. Well not awful, just must have been exhausting. 

“Do you keep in touch with those guys now?” He asked. Dick had thought Morgan must have been close to the teens if he lived with them for a while.

“Of course! Well, only two of them. I can’t seem to find where the other one went off to. She went to college in England, and I haven’t been able to keep in touch with her.” Morgan explained, seeming a bit saddened by this small bit of information. He must have been close to her if it really made him this sad.

“Sometimes that happens. People drift apart because they become so preoccupied with their own lives. I’m sure she misses you as well, she just might not be able to talk or have the time to do so.” Dick explained and the younger man sighed but nodded. 

“I know. I just wish I knew where she was.” He confessed. 

This… Dick wasn’t sure if this was getting too close to comfort for himself. In the time of only recently knowing Morgan, he’s already been told so much. Yet there was almost a feeling like he was barely scraping the surface with him. Hell, Morgan was at the same level that Dick was for him- There was so much said, yet so much untouched, little alone hinted at.

It was new, it was scary, but it was exciting all at the same time. The wondering if he should share all of the flaws, all of the good points, every little detail of himself to someone- Yet the fear of it all happening and it being used against him in some sort of way.

It’s been too long since he felt his heart racing from just talking to someone. 

“Sorry, I’m putting all of this on you all at once. That must be annoying.” Morgan quickly blurted out, waving his hand like he was trying to have Dick not focus on his face.

“I promise that you’re not being too much for me.” He assured him and reached over to press his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. 

When he did that, Morgan looked right at him. There was something in his eyes that Dick knew decently well but wasn’t sure how to really address it… It was clear that there was a desire in them, and it was clear that he wanted to do something with it.

He’s only been looked at like that a few times, and it liked it when they looked at him like that each time. But he wasn’t even sure how old Morgan was, and… God…

“Dick, I’ve been wondering this since we met… And I am just going to ask this as blunt as possible. Are you into guys?” Morgan asked, so softly that for a moment (with all the blood rushing to Dick’s ears) he couldn’t even hear him.

“Am I… What?” Dick had to ask to make double sure he heard Morgan exactly right. 

“I mean, I know there’s no way you could be gay because what luck would that be for me? But the way you look at me, I just…” Morgan bit his bottom lip and looked down at Dick’s sheets and then back into his eyes, “I had to ask, you know? Are you into guys?”

He’ll admit that he heard some sort of glass shattering in the background as he was asked this. He wanted to run away, he wanted to crawl up and be hidden from the rest of the world. He could feel an itch in the back of his throat gnawing away at him as he tried to find the right answer. 

He frowned. Because yes. He did like guys. 

But to say it out loud to a total stranger?

But then again, Morgan did just pull his heart out for Dick to see and all Dick could have done was just go ‘Oh, that’s nice.’. He was asked a question. Something to maybe help ease the younger man’s worries and Dick could be honest with him. It wasn’t like he was going to say this to anyone else.

“I am… I think I always was, but I have just always freaked out about the idea too. I know I live in a supportive household, and I know my friends will still love me for who I am and I’m sure my girlfriend wouldn’t be sho-”

“You have a girlfriend…?” The way Morgan’s voice broke made Dick’s heart hurt. 

Had Jason never told him? Did he really keep his relationship with Babs so secret? He knew Bruce would have said a few things considering Babs was so far ahead in life than he was, but he was sure he told Jason at least once.

“I do… I’ve been with her for a few months,” Dick answered, rubbing the back of his neck. Should he have been so uncomfortable for being honest? He wasn’t even sure where this whole conversation was going.

Morgan frowned, seeming like he understood just how awkward his disappointment must have been and nodded, “Sorry… That was rather inappropriate of me to sound like that. I’m glad that you do have one. And… Thank you for being honest with me.”

“There’s no point in not being honest. I think it would have come up eventually.” Dick muttered, feeling somewhat panicked from talking about this even further. 

“I get too nervous about the idea of dating people. Especially the boys in my school… A lot of them make me uncomfortable, and I’ve never really been given the chance to flirt with people.” Morgan told Dick as he avoided his eyes for a moment.

Dick smiled gently, recalling when he was in the exact same position from when he was the same age. He was too shy to really think about those sorts of things, but he also remembered his crushes, and for a moment he remembered that he was around the same age when he started dating Kory Anders. 

How was she? What was she doing now? There were moments where he missed her, missed her view of the world and missed how uplifting she was, but… Then he quickly remembered everything else that happened near the end of their relationship. How the end was so heartbreaking for him, and how (in a way), it was all his fault that she broke things up between them. 

This wasn’t about him, though.

“Those will always be the worst years, but I’m pretty sure that you’ll do fine when you get older." Dick assured him as he placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder and gently patted it.

Morgan seemed all the more upset by this interaction, but something about his frown and the determination in his eyes made Dick think that something was bound to happen whether he liked it or not. 

“Dick, I know that what I am about to do is going to be stupid. That you may hate me for even thinking these things, that you may even want to kick me out of your room and never want to speak to you again…” Morgan announced, his voice firm and deep. He was still looking everywhere but at Dick, clearly showing just how scared he was over this whole thing. 

Dick felt afraid too. He knew what was going to be said. He knew what was going on in the back of Morgan’s mind and he knew it well. His heart sank, jumped and raced all at once and it somewhat made his head feel dizzy. The air smelt like nectar and he wasn’t really sure why that was unless Morgan wore perfume. 

He totally wore something like that, right? He seemed like the type who liked to look nice despite what his clothes may have suggested. 

Fuck his mind was getting off tack, he needed to say something. 

“Would you telling me whatever is on your mind break this whole world apart and cause a plague from the heavens to strike down upon us?” He asked, completely dumbfounded over his own question. He was supposed to say something, but not that!

“It depends… It just might.” Morgan answered, a slight smile forming on his lips, “Though I also think you might already know what is going on.”

Dick… Did. 

He could tell what was going on from a mile away, and that’s what made him horrified. 

“What is going on? Even if I might take a guess, I could be wrong.” He pointed out, a nervous laugh leaving before he could even catch himself. He readjusted himself on his chair and crossed his legs, making sure that he pulled his hand back from touching the other in the case that was overwhelming him.

“I guess it is better to just spill it, eh?” Morgan asked though Dick wasn’t sure if he was asking him or rather himself, “I’m normally quiet with most people, and I think that is why I haven’t had the chance to go on dates and such…” He explained.

Though if Dick were, to be honest, he wasn’t really sure where Morgan was going with this whole thing. 

“I guess I just have never shown interest in them.” Morgan confessed, sighing a little and looking slightly defeated, “Even with Jason I am a little quiet about certain topics. But with you, I feel comfy. I feel safe. It’s like wearing a nice and cosy sweater that keeps you warm throughout the coldest parts of Winter.” Morgan tried to explain, and while Dick was following he only felt more and more confused.

“Sweaters are nice, but I kind of always considered myself more of a tutu.” Dick tried to joke.

Thankfully he got a little laugh from Morgan with that comment, “Maybe I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“Is that an invitation or are you just pulling on my heartstrings here?” God, he really needed to stop this. He needed to put his foot down or politely reject him or something. 

It was the right thing to do, it was the smart thing to do. He wasn’t a fool. He wasn’t someone who couldn’t read a room. Yet something kept him from doing anything but lead on- Maybe Donna and Roy were right when they called him an asshole from time to time. Maybe he really was no good at all.

“Maybe…” Morgan looked away, took a breath and finally looked Dick in the eyes, “Look. I know you have someone- As you already told me before. I know you might think I’m not attractive that I might seem like I am coming on too strong because quite frankly this is my first time doing this…” He took another deep breath, “...But what is life without living a little? What is life if I have to keep everything to myself, right? It would be lonely and I’m tired of feeling like that.”

Dick really was trying his best to listen, but instead, he felt nervous. He was never great whenever other people tried to confess to him. He was so used to people taking action and making everything so physical. 

“So I’m just going to say it! Dick, I think that I like you. Not just a friendly like too, I mean, it could have been more friendly, but you’re so gorgeous and I know you might not want me to think about what I saw that one time-”

Oh, God…

“But I can’t! I just can’t! I tried to shake it out of my mind, I tried to not think about you like that at all but after seeing that, my mind has been wired and I think about it too much even if I only saw it for a brief moment!” Morgan took another breath and somewhat wheezed from talking too much, “Sorry… I’m not used to talking like this… And… I’m sorry this confession sucks.”

Dick blinked. He wasn’t sure what to say. On one hand, the confession could have been better and more poetic. Certainly could use a lot of touch-ups, but on the other hand how else was Morgan supposed to say all of this? Sometimes things aren’t pretty. 

Sometimes feelings are gross and messy. Sometimes they feel amazing, but one just cannot put it into words properly. 

All he could do was rub the back of his neck and make a sound that made him feel like he was a deflating balloon. 

“You’re sweet, Morgan. You’re like honey, and you’re very pretty to me…” Dick admitted, taking his hand away from the back of his neck and gently rubbed his chest. He wasn’t sure what kind of gesture that was himself as he did it, “And I know that I shouldn’t admit this as well… Considering the situation that I am in…”

Was he really going to say this? Of all the people he had a crush on, on all the people who had confessed to him… Was he really going to admit his feelings towards someone he barely knew? Little alone- 

“...But I like you too. I think I have from the moment I saw you.” He confessed. His cheeks were warm and the shame he felt was disgusting. What would his parents even think of him for saying such a thing?

There was a long moment of silence. Like they both were processing what was just said on both of their ends.

Morgan was the first one to speak, "You really mean that? You're not just messing with me, are you?" 

The question may have been innocent enough, but the way he structured it still made Dick's heart hurt. He really must have been hurt once to jump to that conclusion.

"If I didn't, I would have told you. That's something I've been told a few times… I can be really mean when it comes to being blunt." Dick told him, placing both of his hands on his thighs.

Morgan's cheeks reddened and his smile was so sweet, so earnest. What was he to do? Dick felt helpless at this very moment. He wanted to kiss those push looking lips and remind him that everything was going to be all right. That everything he was feeling was mutual and Dick was more than willing to give things a quick shot.

However, there were his fears manifesting all at once, and the knowledge they both had of him being with Barbara. Because Morgan may have been okay (by the sounds of things) with Dick having an affair with him, but he wasn’t. If he was going to try anything with him, he needed to be smart about it. 

“But I need to remind you of my girlfriend. And I also need you to understand that I am not perfect as well,” He started, sighing ever so softly, “I can’t cheat. I just can’t. I can’t even see myself as poly because I just have always been a one-on-one person. Trust me, I have tried.”

Morgan seemed confused for a moment. He almost looked like he was swirling his tongue inside of his mouth to have those words make sense in his own head, but it seemed as if that was no luck, “I’m sorry… But what does poly mean?” 

Dick let out a nervous bit of laughter, “Honestly? I think I’m too tired and not wise enough to touch that topic. It’s a lot…”

Dick shook his head, he needed to stay on topic, “I… The reason why I brought that up was that… I need to be honest.”

Morgan looked at him like he was devoting all of his attention at once onto him. That made his stomach twist, and it made his heart slam against his chest. He couldn’t really hear much because of that. 

Aside from Babs, he kept this secret to himself. He wanted to keep this to his grave desperately. 

He wasn’t even really sure why he was telling Morgan all of this.

Had he not met this guy, he would have lived a happy life knowing he was open, yet unknown. 

Something he always wanted to be, something…

“I… I cheated on my ex twice.” He finally confessed.

He looked to see Morgan’s reaction and was shocked to see just how normal and unaffected he looked from the information that was given to him. Almost like he heard the same sad song a thousand times that he can’t even roll his eyes from it anymore. 

However, Dick still had to keep going.

It was the mature thing to do.

“While one time was full of my consent… The fact that I did that to her- The fact that I messed everything up because I just-”

“I’m sorry again. I have to intervene. Dick, how old are you?” Morgan asked, his expression changing to serious consternation. 

“I’m… Nineteen.” He answered, a bit confused as to why his age was so important to know at the moment. 

“All right, so you’re nineteen and how long were you with your ex?” Morgan asked again. He placed his chin on his knuckles and his eyes seemed out of focus when he was trying to think of what was just told to him.

“I started dating her when I was sixteen. Why are you asking all of this?”

“That’s a good few years. And that happens. We’re humans, we are not perfect and we make insane mistakes that we can’t really fix.” Morgan explained, giving Dick a gentle smile, “You did something that wasn’t amazing, and you learned from that one time. The fact that you’re willing to explain this to me means that you have grown a bit from those events and I really am proud of you for that.”

He knew that he shouldn’t have blushed from the kind acknowledgement, but he still did. Normally when he made a mistake he would’ve been told off or something close to that matter. He felt like he always had to be at the tip of his toes to make sure he was performing perfectly for everyone around him. 

Even if they said they didn’t want him to, even if they said that he was boring when he had to behave like that, they always reacted so… Unexpected whenever he didn’t do something good or showed an ‘ugly’ emotion.   
But he also could not help but notice that Morgan also brought up that ‘One time’ as if he could already tell what the other instance was right off the bat. In a sense, he was glad. He didn’t really want to talk about that whole story and he didn’t want to bring up the… Other times something like that happened to him.

Maybe one day, and he did figure that it was going to have to be brought up, but just now this moment. Not until he felt safe enough to finally talk about it with someone who wasn’t still dealing with the worst of their hormones first. 

“While it is sweet of you to say that, and I understand that no one is perfect, I need you to understand what I did and how serious that was to me.” Dick said, trying to keep his voice as even as he possibly could, “The woman I was with before… I was determined that I was going to marry her. I was so sure of it, we even had a wedding set up and everything.”

Morgan just raised an eyebrow, “Dick, that would have meant that you were either nineteen or eighteen when you tried to do that… You do realize how insane that idea must have been, right? Like, rationally speaking.”

“I know… But somehow in that time, I thought that would be far from the case. I really did think that Kory, my ex- I thought that she and I…” Dick wasn’t sure what point he was trying to make was anymore. He was all over the place trying to have Morgan understand how bad of an idea it was for both of them to be a couple. 

“I think I understand what you’re saying.” Morgan concluded as he bowed his head slightly, “You don’t want the same mistake to happen. And honestly, I’m only fifteen. I don’t want that to come at me when I barely understand anything about the world.” 

Morgan got up from Dick’s bed and began moving towards him. Awfully timed on his end, because Dick wasn’t sure how much he could take this. His heart was ramming against his chest. He felt like he was having a panic attack.

When the younger man finally got close to him, he went down on his knees and placed both of his hands on Dick’s own knees. What was he doing? Was he planning to give him a blow job despite saying how much he understood and how he didn’t want to mess things up? All he could do was suck in some air and hope that he wouldn’t breathe too loud or too quickly. 

“I get it. I don’t want to mess things up with you myself. I really like you. The more I learn, the more curious I become and the more I would just love to have you whisper things into my ear… Like only I am meant to hear it. I do know that despite my wishes and feelings, you are your own person.” Morgan whispered as he pressed his face down on Dick’s lap. 

God… What he was supposed to do? He felt like he was a priest overhearing a boy’s confession of how they fell in love with him. Except unlike the priest, like a fool, he admitted to liking the boy as well. 

“I want to be selfish sometimes, though.” Morgan admitted softly, “Because right now, as I am positioned like this… All I can think of is how firm your thighs are.” He told him as he squeezed them tightly. 

Dick gasped. He was quick to press his hand on his mouth, but the feeling was still there. Morgan still heard him no matter how much he tried to hideaway.

But before anything else could be done, almost like Morgan gained a sense of realization, he pulled his face and hands away from his legs. Instead, he took both of Dick’s hands and held them, “Just… Um… If anything happens between you and your girlfriend and you two are not together, maybe… I… I’ll wait for you.” 

Dick could only let out a choked laugh because what else was he going to do? Cry? 

“Wait for me? You’re not going to pressure me to do anything? You’re not going to shame me for being so confused? I shouldn’t even be having these feelings for you, yet there I was wanting you to do something so inappropriate for this moment…” Dick admitted as he looked down at his feet in shame. 

“Why would I do any of that?” Morgan asked with genuine confusion in his voice. 

Dick didn’t want to admit that it was what he was used to, so he just choked back another sound. All of this was still so new to him, he felt as though he might truly cry in front of Morgan simply due to him just being kind. 

“I’ll think about it.” Dick finally said, hating how wet his voice sounded, “I’ll think about you and I’ll see what happens next. If you don’t mind waiting a little bit longer for me to gather my mind up, that is.”

Morgan gave him a full smile, and Dick felt a little silly for smiling back but he felt like… Despite everything, a smile did fit the moment.

“I’ll wait,” Morgan told him and pressed a kiss on his lips gently. It was a sweet kiss, the kind that made Dick think that might have been his first. 

Dick pressed his lips back onto his, enjoying how wet his lips were. He wanted to make it deeper, wanted to add more passion, but before anything else could happen, Morgan pulled away and gave a soft cough. 

“I should head to bed. It’s pretty late and I need to head home early tomorrow or else my grandpa will get worried.” Morgan told him, quickly standing up. Before he left Dick’s room, he looked back at him. There was a soft look in his eyes, “I’ll dream about you. Thank you for everything this evening.”

Dick pressed his fingers against his lips, the sensation and warmth from the kiss still lingering on his lips, “No… Thank you. For listening, for telling me.”

“It was a lot.” Morgan admitted, “Originally I just wanted to be in the same room as you. It gets lonely when you are the only night owl, you know?”

“I do… But you’re right. We both should go to bed.” Dick said, “Good night…”

Morgan lingered just a little longer at his door, just looking him over. Like he was excited over having Dick looking like a mess- He could already tell what he looked like, his face must have been red, his hair a mess and his eyes felt a little watery (though he didn’t cry and for that he was thankful).

“Good night, Richard… Please sleep well. Maybe… Maybe you’ll dream of me?” Morgan whispered as he walked out of his door and closed it. 

Dick sat on his chair. Confused as to what just went down and not even sure if he would dream at all that night. 

It took him another hour before his body became too tired to think and he climbed into bed. Too tired to think, too tired for knowledge, and so he dreamt. 


End file.
